CAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RECAP - NOV. 23
George Mason 57, Jacksonville 49
Box Score
FAIRFAX, Va. - Junior Brittany Poindexter led all scorers with 17 points and freshman Amber Easter added 13 with nine rebounds as the George Mason women's basketball team returned to the win column with a 57-49 triumph over Jacksonville University on Monday evening at the Patriot Center.
The Patriots (2-2) opened a season-long four-game homestand with the victory, improving to 2-0 at home on the young season and avenging a loss to the Dolphins (1-3) nearly a year ago to the day.
Easter led a Patriot unit that out-rebounded JU by a 43-41 margin while Mason had five fewer turnovers. Desarae Johnson and Gigi Thomas each chipped in 10 points to pace the Dolphins.
Mason opened strong on a 9-2 run and would hold the lead for the entirety of the contest. Points off the fast break was a key factor in the Patriots' victory, as they outscored the Dolphins by a 14-4 margin in that category, including an 8-0 advantage in the first half. Mason's lead was threatened no closer than four points in the first half, including a 31-24 halftime lead. Easter and Poindexter each had 11 points in the first half.
Out of the locker room, it was the Dolphins who had a hot start, scoring 10 of the first 15 points to narrow the gap to 36-34 with 11:54 left in the game. Mason answered with an 11-0 run though to put the game nearly out of reach. It was a six-point game with 2:11 to go, but a jumper by junior Ashleigh Braxton and a free throw by freshman Janaa Pickard made it 54-45 in the Patriots' favor, and JU could not mount enough of a charge to contend for the lead.
The Patriots will look to improve to 3-0 at home when they host North Carolina Central on Friday evening. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
North Carolina State 62, Old Dominion 52
Box Score
NORFOLK, Va. -- Junior Shadasia Green (Paterson, N.J.) scored 13 points and hauled in seven rebounds for Old Dominion (0-3), but it was not enough as the Lady Monarchs lost their third straight to open the 2009-10 season against North Carolina State (4-1) Monday night, 62-52.
Despite a comeback early in the second half that got ODU within two points twice -- the first on a Shadasia Green free throw with 18:37 remaining and the second on a pair from the charity stripe from JoNiquia Guilford with 14:50 remaining -- the Lady Monarchs were unable to come all the way back. Green led the way in the second half, shooting 4-6 from the field and pouring in nine points from the field.
The Lady Monarchs struggled from the field, including getting just 3-19 from starters Tia Lewis and Jasmine Parker. Lewis did grab a game-high nine rebounds, tying her season-high, and Parker added a game-high four steals, but the two combined for just 13 points.
ODU shot just 34.6% from the field (18-52) and knocked down just 12.5% from long-range (2-16). Turnovers also plagued the Big Blue, as ODU turned the ball over 24 times leading to 18 NC State points.
In the second half, Old Dominion outscored the Wolfpack in the paint, 16-14, and off the bench, 13-8, but the ACC foe would force ODU to trade buckets for most of the frame and pulled away to win by ten. Freshman Jackie Cook and redshirt freshman Guilford each came off the bench and added six points apiece, 10 of the 12 coming in the second half.
Green's 13 points were a game-high and she added seven rebounds, an assist, block and steal in the game. Parker's nine points were second for ODU, adding four rebounds, three assists and four steals.
North Carolina State got 12 points each from freshman Marissa Kastanek and junior Tia Bell, each on 6-11 shooting. Bell was the first half catalyst, scoring 10 of her 12 in the first 20 minutes, while Kastanek posted a balanced attack, scoring six in each half.
The loss is just the 17th all time in the Ted Constant Convocation Center, as ODU falls to 92-17 in the confines of The Ted.
ODU will now hit the road to face Syracuse (4-0) and Louisville (2-1) in the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic this week on a neutral court in Cancun, Mexico. The Lady Monarchs face the Orange on Thursday night with tip set for 8:15 p.m. (EST) on ESPN Radio 94.1. ODU will also tip at 8:15 p.m. (EST) on Saturday night against the Cardinals.